DC crowd pushes through barriers to WWII memorial

2004: The World War II Memorial is dedicated on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The memorial consists of 56 pillars and a pair of small triumphal arches surrounding a plaza and fountain.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -

A crowd has converged on the World War II Memorial on the National Mall, pushing through barriers to protest the memorial's closing under the government shutdown.

WTOP Radio reports that Republican Sen. Mike Lee of Utah and Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas were among those who gathered Sunday morning, along with former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. Cruz says President Barack Obama is using veterans as pawns in the government shutdown.

The memorial has become a symbol of the bitter fight between Democrats and Republicans over who is at fault since the shutdown began.

On Sunday morning, a protest by truckers converged with a veterans march at the World War II Memorial. Participants cut the links between metal barriers at the National Park Service property and pushed them aside.

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